Bioshock: Little Brother re-told story

Chapter 13: New Arrival

Upper Atrium, 6:00 pm:

It took a mad dash, some hiding, and a few bruises, but Ryan finally made it back to his hidey-hole. The rest of his time he spent inside it trying to calm himself down. He was trapped. No way out. The only time he could actually leave was when a Big daddy was escorting him. And even with them escorting him they got attacked by splicers. Far too many times his Big Daddy had been hypnotized and he was forced to run for it. As the war between Andrew and Atlas raged on Rapture was turned inside out to the point that the whole city was placed on a lockdown... Everybody was trapped in the section they were currently in.

Ryan was one of those people, he was trapped in the Upper Atrium. Getting out from under his covers Ryan stood up. He was 8 now, not too different then he had been in the past few years really. He was taller, and his hair overgrown to the point it covered his eyes. Looking at his clothes Ryan decided that he had to find some new ones, ones that fit.

 Taking his harvester, which had become more a weapon than it was just a tool in recent years, he peeked out of his hidey-hole. Everything was quiet, no splicers. Good. Crawling out of the tube Ryan kept an eye out in every direction as he made his way through the Atrium. Peeking into an open shop he found it was filled with clothes, which were unfortunately too big for him. Children's clothing in rapture was rare though, so after finding the smallest pair of pants he could find along with a belt and a nice shirt he decided aloud, "I can make this work." Ryan slipped on the shirt first, it went down to mid-thigh on him, but it was a short sleeve shirt so he didn't have to do anything extra to it. Ripping the pant-legs off at the knees they became baggy shorts on him, reaching just below his knees. The belt made sure they didn't fall off.

Leaving the store he headed back towards his hidey-hole when all of a sudden he heard music. Music wasn't usually something Ryan would ever follow back towards the source for... nor would he for just about any sound, but after so long spent in silence and terror Ryan began to miss people. Sane people, in particular.

 Following the music Ryan found it led him into the Rapture movie theatre. Testing the doors Ryan found that they were locked. He guessed the person inside locked the doors to keep the Splicers out. Not that it would work. Splicers could just smash the door and go right in. Or simply teleport in, if they were a Houdini. Walking over to the nearby hidey-hole he climbed in. After crawling around the vent for a few minutes Ryan poked his head out and found the inside of the theatre.

Climbing out he found himself on the second floor of the theatre. There was a person talking, muttering something about perfection. Following his voice Ryan found a person playing a piano, he seemed normal enough. He was busy playing the piano, the same piece over and over. "Hello." Ryan began, the man looked at him before drifting back to the piano. "I like the music you're playing. what's it called? It sounds like Mozart" He continued. "I'm surprised you guessed it." A voice from behind him spoke up. Jumping like a spring Ryan pointed his harvester at the person behind him.

The person wore a tuxedo, a wilted carnation was pinned to his coat, and his face was hidden by a gold bunny mask. "Take it easy little grasshopper, I am not going to hurt you." He said, opening his arms to show he wasn't armed. Lowering the harvester Ryan asked, "Who are you? And who is that?" "Me, I am Sander Cohen." the man said grandiosity, taking a bow. "Ryan." He replied. "My my... you're the first audience I have had in months." Sander said. "I wonder why?" Ryan said to himself. "Little grasshopper, what is your talent?" Sander asked.

 "Excuse me?" Ryan replied, confused. "Are you clever with words? Maybe a poet? Can you paint or draw? Though to me you seem to be a musician. Can you play the piano or violin?" Sander asked rapidly. Ryan shook his head at all of them. "Hmm... how about photography?" Sander asked after a moment of thought.

"Photography?" Ryan asked, suddenly interested. Sander perked up at the boys enthusiasm and left for a few minutes. When he came back he had a camera. He gave it to Ryan. As soon as the device was in Ryan's hand the PA system blared, "A bathysphere is arriving at the station. I repeat, a bathysphere is arriving at the station!" "Well well... looks like we have a new arrival." Sander muttered before focusing on Ryan. "Why don't you do me a favour. Head over to the bathysphere station and take a picture of the new arrival, hm?" "I would, but we're locked up with no way out. Unless we can teleport anyway, which as far as I know I can't." Ryan said. Sander laughed, "I am a man of many talents, my young grasshopper!" He pulled back his sleeves, "Nothing up my sleeves." he pulled his pockets inside out, "Nothing in my pockets. Why don't you try your pocket though." He said, sounding highly amused. wondering what trick Cohen was trying to play Ryan checked his pocket... and took out a key.

 How did that get there? "You can override the security system with it, you are now free to visit any area of Rapture with that key" Sander said. Ryan couldn't speak, he was so grateful for what Sander gave him. For months he has been cooped up inside of the atrium with no way out. Finally, he was free to visit the other parts of Rapture and maybe, just maybe, he could find Masha, Rosie, and Big Daddy Darren.

He missed them both a lot. Sander smiled, but his eyes suddenly caught the harvester Ryan had with him. "Wait a minute... Where did you get that?" Sander asked, Ryan tensed up, but didn't answer. "You look like a gatherer, but you smell like a Big Daddy." Sander commented. 'Why does everyone keep saying I smell?' Ryan demanded. People had been saying that a lot about him. One time a man in the farmers market had given him an apple, a banana, and a purple fruit with seeds in it... a Pomegranate, if he remembered right? Just to make him leave, saying his smell was scaring everyone away. "I am a... a... a Big Daddy in training!" Ryan blurted the first lie he could think of. 

"I have seen many things. But never a Big Daddy in training." Sander said. Oddly excited. After a few seconds of silence Sander cleared his throat "Well Grasshopper, hop to it." And suddenly he was gone, leaving behind a few red dust particles. Ryan gulped, that was too close. Holding the key he made his way out of Fort Frolic to the Bathysphere station.

Bathysphere station, 7:00 pm

This station was where people from the surface arrived from the bathysphere that was accessed only through the lighthouse on the surface so they could become residents of Rapture. However, when bathysphere stations were closed off many citizens protested. Many came down to the station and had strikes ...All that was left of that time were the picket signs. Behind Ryan was a Bouncer, "Shush Hero. We don't want to scare the new one." Ryan whispered, his guess the new arrival was a sane person from the surface.

 A person who had no idea what he/she was getting into... Reaching the bathysphere he was surprised to find it empty, and broken. From what he could tell the person left and a Splicer came along and broke it. Or the splicer broke it while the person was inside and when it left, he/she made a run for it out into the city. "Hero, he or she is gone. But they couldn't have gone far. We'd better find him before the Splicers do." Ryan told the metal giant. The Big Daddy moaned, seeming to agree with him.

To Be Continued...